Laundry system and method for pet hair removal

Abstract

A laundry appliance includes a tub positioned within a cabinet, a basket supported for rotation within the tube and defining a chamber for receipt of laundry articles for washing and drying, a drive motor operatively coupled to the basket, an air duct system providing fluid communication between an air inlet, the chamber, and an air outlet defining an air flow path, an air filter within the air flow path, a fan operable to move a flow of air through the air flow path, and a controller operably coupled to the drive motor and the fan. The controller is configured to perform a pet hair removal cycle on the load of laundry articles. The pet hair removal cycle includes simultaneously operating the fan to circulate air through the air duct system and the chamber and operating the drive motor to rotate the basket at a tumble speed for a tumble duration.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A laundry appliance comprising:
 a tub positioned within a cabinet;   a basket supported for rotation within the tub, the basket defining a chamber for receipt of laundry articles for washing and drying;   a drive motor operatively coupled to the basket;   an air duct system providing fluid communication between an air inlet, the chamber, and an air outlet, wherein the air inlet, the chamber, and the air outlet define an air flow path;   an air filter within the air flow path;   a fan operable to move a flow of air through the air flow path; and   a controller operably coupled to the drive motor and the fan, the controller being configured to:
 perform a pet hair removal cycle on a load of laundry articles, wherein the pet hair removal cycle includes simultaneously operating the fan to circulate air through the air duct system and the chamber and operating the drive motor to rotate the basket at a tumble speed for a tumble duration. 
   
     
     
         2 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the fan is operated to move a flow of air at a flow rate of between approximately 75 cubic feet per minute and approximately 250 cubic feet per minute. 
     
     
         3 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the tumble speed is between approximately 30 revolutions per minute and approximately 50 revolutions per minute. 
     
     
         4 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein rotating the basket comprises rotating the basket in a first direction, pausing the rotation, and rotating the basket in a second direction different from the first direction. 
     
     
         5 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the tumble duration is between approximately 5 to approximately 15 minutes. 
     
     
         6 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a misting nozzle in fluid communication with a water supply for receiving water from the water supply and discharging the received water as mist into the chamber of the basket; and   a valve configured to regulate the discharge of the received water from the misting nozzle into the chamber of the basket; and   wherein the pet hair removal cycle includes:
 controlling an operation of the valve such that the misting nozzle discharges the received water as mist into the chamber of the basket. 
   
     
     
         7 . The laundry appliance of  claim 6 , wherein the pet hair removal cycle includes:
 circulating heated air through the air duct system and the chamber; and   controlling an operation of the valve such that the misting nozzle discharges the received water as mist into the chamber of the basket.   
     
     
         8 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 after performing the pet hair removal cycle, perform a wet wash cycle on the load of laundry articles, wherein the wet wash cycle includes introducing wash fluid into the tub; and   after performing the wet wash cycle, perform a drying cycle, wherein the drying cycle includes operating the fan to circulate air within the air duct system.   
     
     
         9 . The laundry appliance of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a control panel including one or more input selectors for selecting a laundry cycle of the laundry appliance to be performed;   wherein, the pet hair removal cycle is separately selected from the wet wash cycle and the drying cycle by the one or more input selectors.   
     
     
         10 . A method of operating a laundry appliance, the laundry appliance comprising a basket defining a chamber, the basket supported for rotation within a tub, a drive motor operatively coupled to the basket, an air duct system providing fluid communication between an air inlet, the chamber, and an air outlet, wherein the air inlet, the chamber, and the air outlet define an air flow path, and a fan operable to move a flow of air through the air flow path, the method comprising:
 performing a pet hair removal cycle on a load of laundry articles, wherein the pet hair removal cycle includes simultaneously operating the fan to circulate air through the air duct system and the chamber and operating the drive motor to rotate the basket at a tumble speed for a tumble duration.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 operating the fan to move a flow of air at a flow rate of between approximately 75 cubic feet per minute and approximately 250 cubic feet per minute.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 operating the drive motor to rotate the basket at a tumble speed between approximately 30 revolutions per minute and approximately 50 revolutions per minute.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 operating the drive motor to rotate the basket in a first direction, pause the rotation, and rotate the basket in a second direction different from the first direction.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 wherein the tumble duration is between approximately 5 to approximately 15 minutes.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 controlling an operation of a valve configured to regulate a discharge of water from a misting nozzle into the chamber of the basket such that the misting nozzle discharges the received water as mist into the chamber of the basket.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 circulating heated air through the air duct system and the chamber; and   controlling an operation of the valve such that the misting nozzle discharges the received water as mist into the chamber of the basket.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 after performing the pet hair removal cycle, performing a wet wash cycle on the load of laundry articles, wherein the wet wash cycle includes introducing wash fluid into the tub; and   after performing the wet wash cycle, performing a drying cycle, wherein the drying cycle includes operating the fan to circulate air within the air duct system.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 prior to performing the pet hair removal cycle, initiating the pet hair removal cycle by selecting a pet hair removal laundry cycle with an input selector of a control panel, wherein the pet hair removal cycle is separately selected from the wet wash cycle and the drying cycle.